Israel ordered the immediate evacuation of Gaza City on Tuesday while it expands military operations in its war against Hamas.
In a notice posted online and leaflets distributed in the area, the Israeli military warned those living in Gaza City, home to nearly half the Gaza Strip’s population, to leave before the Israel Defense Forces shows “great force.”
“To all residents of Gaza City and all its neighborhoods, from the Old City and Tuffah in the east to the sea in the west. The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force, just as it did throughout the Strip,” said Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic language spokesman. “Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous.”
The city is one of Hamas’s last remaining strongholds, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who issued a warning to Palestinians in Gaza on Monday.
“I say to the residents of Gaza, take this opportunity and listen to me carefully,” he said in a video posted to Telegram, speaking directly to residents. “You have been warned … leave now.”
His statement came as Hamas has urged people to stay in Gaza City to thwart Israel’s military advance, triggering criticisms that the terrorist group is using civilians as human shields. As of last Wednesday, only 70,000 Palestinians out of Gaza City’s roughly 1 million residents had evacuated, according to CNN, making up less than 10% of the total population. The IDF expects at least 200,000 Palestinians to disregard evacuation orders.
The Israeli military said it controls 40% of the enclave’s largest city as Israel aims to eliminate Hamas, the terrorist group that holds power in the Gaza Strip.
President Donald Trump has sought to end the war. The White House recently proposed another ceasefire deal that Israel announced on Tuesday it had “said yes” to.
“The war in Gaza can end tomorrow,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said during a press conference in Croatia. “Israelis and Palestinians have suffered enough. … As long as these terror states exist, as long as Hamas remains in power, the suffering on both sides will not end.”
Hamas has rejected the deal, saying it is not interested in “signing a humiliating surrender document, and Hamas leadership does not include an emperor like Japan’s Hirohito,” a reference to Japan’s unconditional surrender to the United States at the end of World War II.
Qatar, which Trump has built a relationship with and is known to be a financial supporter at times to Hamas, has reportedly called on the terrorist group to accept the deal, which includes a call for the immediate release of all hostages Hamas has taken and for Israel to freeze its assault on Gaza City.
HAMAS RELEASES VIDEO OF TWO HOSTAGES IN GAZA CITY AS ISRAEL PREPARES BOMBARDMENT
Trump on Sunday gave a “last warning” for Hamas to release the hostages to clinch a ceasefire deal, as Israel has threatened to “annihilate” the city altogether if the terrorist group refuses to surrender.
“Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end!” the president said in a message to social media. “The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well.”